Grant Information

CAP- ADVANCED TESTING AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF NOVEL DEFENSIN PEPTIDES AND THERAPIES FOR HLB CONTROL

Sponsoring Institution Agricultural Research Service/USDA
Status ACTIVE
Funding Source USDA INHOUSE
Reporting Frequency Annual
Project Director YOKOMI R K
Accession Number 442343
Project Number 2034-22000-014-009R
Dates 2021-10-01 - 2025-09-14
Recipient Organization AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE

PARLIER,CA 93648
Keywords antimicrobial
ctv
expression
ge-ctv
hlb
huanglongbing
interference
peptides
rna
vector
vectors
viral
Research Effort Applied (40%)
Basic (50%)
Developmental (10%)
Classification Parameters
Knowledge AreaSubject of InvestigationField of SciencePercent
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants 999 - Citrus, general/other 1160 - Pathology 40%
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants 1131 - Wine grapes 1170 - Epidemiology 25%
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants 1139 - Grapes, general/other 1160 - Pathology 25%
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants 1212 - Almond 1170 - Epidemiology 10%
Goals / Objectives
  1. Develop genetically-engineered Citrus tristeza virus (GE-CTV) using endogenous California CTV strains.
  2. Determine citrus cultivar differences in expression levels of GE-CTV with the hypothesis that the greater expression results in greater control of HLB.
Methods (unparsed)

Molecular and recombinant approaches will be used by replacing/inserting foreign genes in restriction sites in the cDNA genome of CTV GE-CTV and transforming clones into Agrobacterium EHA 105, and infiltrating Nicotiana benthamiana to systemically infect and produce infectious virions (rCTV) in tobacco, which will be collected, purified and inoculated in citrus (Alemow) to establish systemic infection. Alemow will be used to inoculate various citrus scions with rCTV. Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) will be used to measure virus titer. Test plants will be inoculated with HLB to determine efficacy of control.